"He was shorter than the fair boy and fat." This is the first description of Piggy in the novel. He is the typical fat boy, with pink pale skin, and `ass-mar'. He wears glasses, `specs', and is as good as blind without them. Surprisingly he is proud with both of them. " `I was the only boy in our school what had asthma', said the fat boy with a touch of pride. `And I've been wearing specs since I was three'."

In the first chapter, we learn that Piggy is an orphan. "`My dad's dead', he said quickly, `and my mom-'." Piggy's aunt, which owned a sweet shop, is the reason of his fatness. From the language Piggy uses through out the book, you could say he is from a lower class background.

It is very hard for Piggy to be on a tropical island because he is unfit...